Bruce Lee’s ‘Lost Interview’ suit set for $100,000 auction

The suit worn by Lee during his only onscreen interview will headline the latest monthly auction at Nate D. Sanders.

A stunning archive of Bruce Lee memorabilia from the collection of his close friend and student is set to sell at auction this week.

Nate D. Sanders will offer items from the personal collection of Herb Jackson, who studied under Lee and built custom-designed training equipment for him during the 1960s and 70s. Several pieces of this equipment are included in the sale, along with exercise gear, handwritten letters and a very famous suit.

Leading the auction is the brown suede suit worn by Lee during his famous ‘Lost Interview’. In 1971 Lee recorded a 25 minute television interview in Hong Kong with the Canadian journalist Pierre Berton, following the release of his first film ‘The Big Boss’. It was the only onscreen interview he ever recorded, but the tapes were lost and only rediscovered in 1994.

During the interview Lee uttered one of his most famous quotes: "Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless, like water. Now, you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup, you put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle, you put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash! Be water, my friend."

Herb Jackson was given the suit by Lee during a visit to Hong Kong in 1972, whilst Lee was filming ‘Way of the Dragon’. Experts believe it could sell for in excess of $100,000.

"People understand that Bruce was special and way ahead of his time,” commented Jackson’s step-son Mark Ashton-Jackson. “He was really interested in reaching his highest potential and he achieved that through martial arts. He would reach that 'flow' experience through martial arts and then applied it to all other areas of his life — in acting, writing, directing and with those around him. He used martial arts as a process of self-discovery."

Other notable lots include a screen-used striking shield from the classic ‘Enter the Dragon’; Lee’s owned used heavy bag; training equipment including a medicine ball, boxing gloves and a jump rope; personal letters which refer to his own films; and a watch worn by Lee during the 1970s.

"Bruce Lee is almost mythical to many people because of what he was able to achieve in so short a time,” said auctioneer Nate D. Sanders. “The items consigned to this auction are also very, very special because they are Bruce's own training equipment, directly related to the avenue he chose to reach his fullest potential. I can only imagine how inspirational they will be to people who admire Bruce Lee."

Bidding on the online auction is currently live, and ends at 5pm Pacific Time on Tuesday October 29.